For The Love of Chocolate 2009

To say it was fantastic would be an understatement. We were greeted with a bellini from Barefoot Bubbly and given our passport to collect our stamps from each area. The jazz was live and the bon bons and cookies were a delightful way to begin the evening.

We took the elevator to the second floor where we found the second area with the savory chefs. Another bar, like in every area and a row of tables with chefs and their assistants serving spanish mole, shortribs, breads, duck confit, and savory strudel. The next stop was a darkened room reached by going through a draped off hallway. The candles were lit and the dj was spinning a combination of old and new, which worked. The tables were filled with delectables. A fully constructed plated dessert from The Peninsula Hotel that included banana noodles, chocolate, tiny nut biegnet type pastry and a curry accent that worked. A woman offered us a selection of liqueurs, and I chose a B & B. I chose it again 2 more times. Wow. I've had it before, but the temperature was right on this occasion and was smooth. I also had a chocolate martini and am still surprised that I wasn't suffering the next day.

The next room was a surprise with the music of Chris Freeman who was playing for the belly dancers. The hookah pipes were busy and the bar was busy. We watched for a dance or two and then followed along the path to the cocoa sutra room which was again filled with chefs supplying samples of macarons, mousses, bon bons and cakes interspersed with sculptures and flowers.

Another room had plates of truffles sitting on the end tables, all shiny and perfect. I really couldn't fathom eating anything else. As it was, Christian and I were sharing tiny bites of things. I felt disrespectful of the effort of the chefs, however, I can only take so much. There was tea and it was a welcome palate cleanser. It was also chocolate, but light in flavor. This is where we saw a model in chocolate attire. I don't know how it wasn't melting, but I thought she had probably been asked so many times that I skipped inquiring.

We took to dancing around 930 when the dj played some old school rap we hadn't heard since we were dating. It was fantastic to dance and see everyone around enjoying the pastries and music. We finished up around 1030 and turned in our passport. In return, we were given a gift basket with brioche and a chocolate spread. In the brioche there was a chance of winning a prize. A trip to Paris! We didn't win it, but it was cool. We thought it was so well done and plan on returning next year.

Coupe de Monde de la Patisserie 2009

The team from France dominated this year. This is their entremet with delicate sugar cala lilies and flawless gloss. The Coupe de la Monde de la Patisserie is a pastry competition best described by Gabrielle Paisillion, the Father of the competition. "The World Pastry Cup was to be, to Pastry, what Formula One is to the Automobile: a reference not to be missed", explained Gabriel Paillasson. It was placed under the aegis of the International Pastry, Confectionery and Ice-cream Professionals, and of the Best Craftsman of France Association. For those of you who look at the art of pastry and dismiss the skills honed in the time honored tradition of master and apprentice, browse the recipe at the link provided and see what you think. The knowledge of ingredients, the skills to create and assemble, and the teamwork required to compete cleanly and professionally are admirable.

http://www.cmpatisserie.com/2009/en/

Here is team USA's submission for the same entremet competition. I am not a fan of kitschy things on a cake, so the depiction of kokopelli just bugs me. It automatically feels cartoonish and brings down the elegance of the whole cake. For me. It draws my eye right to it and I didn't even see the rest of the cake until my third view. I also would have liked a pulled sugar component behind him. Just my opinion, as someone who is nowhere near ready for a competition like this.

http://www.cmpatisserie.com/2009/en/concours/galerie_chocolat_2009/index.php#

***Even though I was sick with the flu this week, the knock at my door pulled me out of bed to a welcome surprise. My mini-bomb molds arrived! They are only 3" wide and aobut 2" tall. I cannot wait to experiment with ice creams, mousses and glazes. Keep in touch for those results!

I'm a purist

When it comes to baking or broiling or melting or fashioning food in any way, I will usually be drawn to the purest form and flavor. Whether it is bread, coffee, ice cream, candy, or well, anything I can experience, I enjoy it much more if it is in its simplest form. I like to experiment, but if I am planning on eating it, then it will probably be simple.

I had a request from a caramel lover to make her some of my caramels, but with the addition of an ingredient. I know, it seems like a no-brainer to add something to caramels. Most people like them, and some even enjoy the flavor of caramel to chocolate in desserts. So I get it when people add all sorts of stuff to their caramels just to jazz it up. I have seen most flavor under the sun, like pumpkin, bacon, and herbs. But I love my caramels just like they are. I have made many thousands of them and when I cut into them and they are so smooth and shiny and perfect, I am happy. So purposely adding a texture just bugged me. I could put all sorts of things next to it or under it, but I didn't want to put it in it. But she wanted it, so I made it. And they are absolutely delicious. But you will see if you look down the blog that the pure caramels are gorgeous and slick lookin'. With the toasted pecans, they just seem more ordinary. It just seems like you could be hiding anything in there. When it is all perfect right angles as in the plain caramels, you know it is done right. There is no guessing about what you are about to enjoy.

You da Bomb!

Every year for my husband's birthday, he requests the same dessert referred to as a bomb. It consists of layers of ice cream made in an inverted bowl. I add some type of cake or cookie layer for a base and coat it in one or two different icings/ganaches/whipping cream. If I don't sound too enthusiastic, it's cuz i am most certainly not. It takes very little time, minimal skill and because it is nearly the same every year I feel unchallenged. But it's HIS day and what he wants...well, he gets. And I have to admit, even after all this whining on my part, that it is delicious and satisfying. It even looks like the centerpiece for a celebration. This year, the flavors were that of a banana split, based on a banana bread soaked with simple syrup and banana liqueur (so as not to freeze solid making the cutting dificult). I coated it with a milk chocolate glaze and sweetened whipping cream and mixed nuts.

Christmas in Michigan

Duo of Mousses with Candied Hazelnuts

I brought a dessert to take to my sister, Margaret's luncheon. She made a beautiful lunch with soup, salad and delicious bread. She can dish out some lovely desserts herself, but she had her hands full with the lunch and all of us. My neice Julie was there and she was about to deliver her baby any day. She doesn't want chocolate or alcohol, so I made her a white chocolate raspberry version of a tiramisu. I used lady fingers soaked in a raspberry simple syrup, a mascarpone cheese mousse and plenty of raspberries for color and flavor. I decorated with white chocolate plaquettes and grated white chocolate, then raspberries. It was super light and everyone dug in.

Mini bouche de Noel filled with hazelnut cream and topped with hazelnut buttercream (not the same thing). I topped with chocolate cigarettes (extra thin) and cocoa powder.

Apple Tart on puff pastry. It is filled with frangipane, an almond cream (with a touch of dark rum). When plated, it had caramel sauce that melts in your mouth. It was supposed to have cinnamon ice cream, but somehow that was not the case. I ordered this particular dessert with my dinner and upon seeing a component missing, entered the kitchen and spent some time reillustrating the proper plating technique. Ugh. I hate that. It was so uncomfortable.

These are the flaky tarts filled with a vanilla pastry cream whipped with a little cream to lighten. I added the fruit (couldn't find a single raspberry up there...ugh again) and piped some whipping cream around the edges. Christian had this that night and said it was great. Bow here.

I worked for a few days at Forest Dunes Golf Club preparing for New Years Eve. They had 132 reservations so we wanted to prepare enough, of course. I made a duo of mousses, dark chocolate hazelnut and white chocolate, flaky tarts with vanilla cream and fruit, vanilla cheesecake with caramel sauce, mini bouch de noel with mini meringue mushrooms,and two types of creme brulee (Tia Maria and Grand Marnier with candied orange peel). The Chef was going to use the delicious resulting simple syrup, which was golden orange and rich in flavor, to candy his mandarin orange segments to accompany his Duck a L'Orange. I was tempted to make a martini out of it, so it was good he spoke up.

We plan on spending most Christmases up at the cottage. It was quiet and peaceful. I wish I could live there. But, alas, it is good to have something to dream about.



You just can't beat a blizzard in Northern Michigan. When you have the chance to get snowed in, do it. The snow just kept coming and we didn't mind a bit. The four wheel drive came in handy when we had to retrieve our camera from a party we were at the night before. This pic is from Stephan Bridge Road where apparently the plow hadn't visited. When you aren't in a rush, it is glorious to be out in it.

Meringue and Pierogi

The fun of meringue. It is so very versatile. I started out making the traditional mushrooms for the Buche de Noel. And that led to other things like bunnies to accompany the mushrooms. They are so damn cute. It's just sugar, of course with some egg whites. They are baked low and slow to avoid excessive color and so they are safe to eat. Hell, I eat egg white raw all the time and never get sick. But, to be safe, I am careful when I am cooking for other people.




Oh, the lovely pierogi. Most ethnic groups have their version of the pocket of dough wrapped around their favorite (or most accesible) filling. We Polish have the Pierogi. It is a light, yeastless dough that is gently rolled thin, cut, filled, sealed and boiled in water. Then I fry it in butter and serve it with sour cream. My choice for my 4 dozen pierogi is potato, bacon and cheddar. They alone should earn us Poles some respect.

Second Grader's are Sweet Too!

My sister sent me this story and it's the type of stuff I love. It's clever, but not invented or embellished. I was once a preschool teacher (actually a teacher of the year for Children's World Learning Center one year) and it was a source of the most clever responses.


The 'Middle Wife' by an Anonymous 2nd grade teacher

I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second grade classroom a few years back. When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater. She holds up a snapshot of an infant. 'This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday' 'First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord.'

She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement. "Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts saying and going, ''Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!" Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. 'She walked around the house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!' (Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.) 'My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this.' Then Erica lies down with her back against the wall. 'And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!' (This kid has her legs spread with her little hands miming water flowing away. It was too much!)

'Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,'and 'breathe, breathe. They started counting, but never even got past ten. Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff that they all said it was from Mom's play-center, (placenta) so there must be a lot of toys inside there.' Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat. I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, when it's show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another 'Middle Wife' comes along.